Throughout the Ages
by The Impostor
Summary: A collection of non-connected Cana/Mirajane oneshots, all taking place in some historical period, not much more to say than that. Chapter 3: Ancient Rome.
1. 1950s: Love is Strange

**A/N: Something I've been meaning to get out there for awhile, I'll update this particular collection sporadically, but I can definitely update it. This pairing definitely needs more fics for it.**

**Time Period: 1950s **

**Setup: Cana's new to the small town of Seymour, Indiana, and it seems like she can't catch a break. No one seems to like her, and then there's that queen bitch Mirajane, but being forced to work with that Mirajane may just change all of that.**

**Other: Also contains some Laxus/Fried.**

* * *

"Here it is, our new home!" Announced Gildarts as he pulled the Corvette into a fairly standard and vaguely cozy house, built in the prefabricated style that had come into fashion after the war.

"I hate it." Sighed Cana, from the front passenger seat, giving her father a disdainful look.

"Now I know you miss Chicago, and so do I, but this new job's great; I'll make extra as a regional sales director compared to a low level sales manager. Plus, the open air's good for the soul!" Laughed Gildarts, with a grin as the movers pulled into the driveway and began to unload the various boxes and crates that the father and daughter collectively owned.

* * *

"Well, that's everything!" Noted Gildarts as he slid a potted plant, the last of the items to be moved, into a place in the entryway.

"Finally." Sighed Cana, a bit tired from unpacking her boxes.

"How about we watch some TV?" Gildarts suggested.

"No ABC, CBS, or NBC?" Muttered Cana, annoyed at this development.

"Just local stations, no affiliates." Said Gildarts, in agreement.

"Well, I have nothing better to do..." Decided Cana.

* * *

"Dastardly Villain!" Shouted a blue haired actor as his cutlass clashed with the blade of his blonde haired foe. It seemed to be a decade old adventure serial, low budget and poor quality. The rights were obviously dirt cheap to get, but notably, it featured the now-successful Erza Scarlet as a side character.

"Hard to believe Erza Scarlet started out in this!" Laughed Cana.

"Yeah, I guess leaving it was a good career move." Agreed Gildarts.

This continued for a few hours, until both grew hungry and they decided to eat at the local diner.

* * *

"Not terrible, I guess." Conceded Cana after taking a tepid bite of the club sandwich she'd ordered. "I still miss Chicago though..."

"So do I, so do I..." Sighed Gildarts. "But on the bright side, you only have to take it for a few months, and then you'll be moving away!"

"True enough, 18 in a month!" Laughed Cana, though her voice trailed off upon seeing a beautiful girl around her age with flowing gray hair seated at a booth a few down from theirs, with a boy, who seemed to be her boyfriend. He was tall and muscular, with spiky blonde hair. That guy was an afterthought, however. Cana's eyes were on that girl and the boyfriend was an afterthought.

"Infatuated with that guy?" Quipped Gildarts, apparently not noticing where exactly Cana was looking.

"Um-yes!" Cana shouted, nervous as she was broken from her mesmerized state.

"Well, I suppose it isn't any matter, I'm your dad, not your eternal master." Laughed Gildarts.

"Thanks dad." Cana said with a smile, glad that her secret had stayed safe.

"By the way, I need you to get enrolled at the local high school, starts back up in a month after all."

"Okay, I'll take care of that tomorrow." Agreed Cana.

* * *

The final month of the summer passed with little incident. Cana mostly kept to herself. She partook, of course, in her normal pastimes, which tended to involve being a useless freeloader at the general store and reading several books there without buying them. Also, trying desperately to figure a way into Gildart's cabinet of wine. The former worked better than the latter. Cana's 18th birthday also occurred during that month, but little festivities accompanied it. That gray haired girl showed up from time to time around town, but the two never met. All in all Cana sort of slid into the first day of school bored and actually perfectly content to have yet another year of high school in front of her.

"Well, let's get this over with." Cana thought to herself, as she threw on her typical attire of jeans and a casual white shirt without buttons or collar.

"Cana! You're going to be late!" Gildarts shouted from the foyer.

"Shit, he's right." Cana thought to herself as she checked her room's clock.

"One more thing." Gildarts said, as Cana was about to bolt out the door.

"What is it?"

"I'm proud of you, you're a wonderful daughter, and I know all of what I said, you took to heart." Gildarts said with a sincere smile, as he directed Cana's attention to a new Chevy Bel Air in the driveway. "Call it a late birthday present."

"Thank you so much dad!" Cana shouted Joyfully, as she took the keys her father held out for her, and proceeded to drive out onto the street, making her way to the school.

* * *

"Do you have any idea about how a lady should dress for school?" Demanded the gray haired girl Cana had seen over the summer, who was now standing in front of her, wearing a proper looking blouse and knee length skirt.

"Well here we go again..." Sighed Cana; she knew the feeling all too well. Her old school was like that too. People kept telling her to wear dresses and such, but she couldn't stand to. It felt... limiting. Much worse than catching flak for not doing so.

"Don't let it happen again." The girl stated matter of factly as she strode into the homeroom, the same one Cana was in.

* * *

"Excellent work, Mirajane." Their English teacher, a middle aged man with the odd quirk of licking his lips constantly said to the gray haired girl, in reference to the project she'd done over the summer.

"Why thank you, Mr. Bixlow." Mirajane grinned with a fake smile.

"For you... Cana." Bixlow read the name off of his sheet of paper. "I'd like to see some similar project from you in January, seeing as you only moved here last summer, it only seems fair to evaluate your grasp of the district's junior level material."

"I understand." Agreed Cana, not exactly happy, but in no position to object, and even then agreeing that it was fair.

* * *

"How was school?" Asked Gildarts, a happy smile on his face as he and Cana prepared dinner together. Ever since Mrs. Alberona died, Gildarts and Cana cooked together. It was a good bonding experience, and they both appreciated mitigating the work a bit.

"It was alright, some girl named Mirajane complained about my clothes though." Sighed Cana.

"I guess some things never change." Said Gildarts. "I'd fight it, but there's no way we could win."

"I know." Cana muttered, still annoyed.

"Hey, on the plus side, you'll go to college in a year, and the girls there may just be more accepting.

"I will?" Asked Cana, her eyes lighting up.

"Sure, just because you're a girl doesn't mean you have a set place in society. Go out and carve your own identity." Promised Gildarts.

"Thank you so much dad!" Cana cried, joyfully.

* * *

The next week passed with little incident. Cana did what she could in school, picked up tennis, but still found little in the way of friends. Things got worse, however, the first day of the second week.

"Well, it's the same man-clothes." Muttered Mirajane, looking at Cana disapprovingly.

"Dirty lesbian." Agreed Bisca, one of Mirajane's friends.

"What!?" Shouted Cana, more offended at being called dirty than being called a lesbian (that one was true, after all).

"You heard us, you're a stain on this school. A stain!" Shouted Mirajane, taking what appeared to be a good deal of pleasure in taking Cana down, as Mirajane and her small circle of friends.

"They got to you too?" Noted a boy Cana had seen around, but not talked to. He had long green hair, and wore a loose disheveled button down shirt and worn out looking khakis.

"Hm, what have they done to you?" Asked Cana, not judgmental, simply inquisitive.

"The very same thing, insulted me for being homosexual." Explained the boy.

"I'm not-" Began Cana.

"You don't have to deny it, I'll keep it safe, because I know you'll do the same for me. My name is Fried, and I know yours."

"Thank you, Fried." Cana sighed with relief. She finally found a good friend, it seemed.

* * *

"Dad, may I go to the lake tonight?" Asked Cana.

"I guess so, why?" Gildarts responded with a question of his own.

"Well, I finally have a good friend, and I wanted to fish, this'll be one of the last good days for it."

"Sure, just be back before 10." Agreed Gildarts.

* * *

"Nothing's biting." Complained Fried.

"Be patient, fish don't just pop out of nowhere, you have to wait for the good fish to come to you." Reprimanded Cana.

"Well, look what we have here!" Laughed Laxus, the boy who Cana first saw as Mirajane's date the first night after she'd moved there.

"Come to torture innocents again?" Quipped Fried.

"Hey, there ain't nothing-" Laxus was promptly cut off by Cana quickly kicking him in the balls, and taking her fishing gear, and running off, Fried in tow.

* * *

"You really shouldn't have done that." Gasped Fried, as they drove back into town.

"Why not? He was being an ass, and I was an ass back, I wouldn't have been if he wasn't first." Responded Cana.

"People already fear us Cana, we can't just go around hurting people so indecent as to tell it to our faces." Reprimanded Fried.

"I'm sorry... I just got caught up in the moment." Sighed Cana. "Here's hoping I'm not arrested."

* * *

Months passed, and thankfully, things calmed down. Surprisingly, Laxus had little more desire to berate Cana and Fried, and even Mirajane kept a bit more to herself. Cana finished the literature project over Christmas, and the second half of her senior year was progressing smoothly. Things were going to get rough again, however, thankfully, things fast improved after that.

"Okay, we have our groups for the end of the year assignment. Lesse, Cana Alberona and Mirajane Strauss..." He read off the list.

"NO!" Both of the girls shouted at the same time. "Don't put me with her!"

"Sorry girls, but that's life." Bixlow muttered. "You'll have to get used to working with people you don't like.

"But-but!" Began Mirajane.

"No buts, I drew your two names from the hat, you're working together."

* * *

"I suppose I should ask about how we should handle this." Muttered Mirajane, approaching Cana after school, looking less pained and more apologetic.

"How about this, we go to my house after school, a few hours every night except the weekend for the next few weeks, and work on it there?" Suggested Cana. "You may leave at any time." She added.

"Sure, I'll come over tonight." Agreed Mirajane, thankful that Cana too was willing to set aside their differences just for the project. A good grade would be nice, after all.

* * *

"I like your room." Mirajane said, impressed by the tasteful decor, nothing like the gaudy raiments that were in vogue, a record player off to the side, and a good collection of records beside them. "Wow, I've always been curious about these, but my parents never let me, something about 'corrupted youth...'" Mirajane sighed as she looked through Cana's collection.

"My dad's pretty cool on that stuff. He says that someday, people like him will be the ones in charge."

"What about your mom?"

"She's died when I was little." Sighed Cana. "That's about the time my dad became who he is now. I guess her death made him really reevaluate his own life. So I guess some good came of it..."

"I'm sorry, but I'm also glad you can see a bright side..." Noted Mirajane.

"Well, we should get working though, we need to get this done, and don't you have a date?" Asked Cana.

"Right!" Recalled Mirajane.

"Okay, so this involves Ancient Greece, right?" Cana inquired, making sure she understood the assignment.

"Something like that, report on a figure from Ancient Greece. I guess we need to go to the library to decide on one." Explained Mirajane.

"First maybe we should look at an encyclopedia, try to figure someone out." Offered Cana.

"Ooh, good idea." Agreed Mirajane, as she followed Cana downstairs.

* * *

"Dad, I have to study, can I have dinner duties off tonight?" Asked Cana.

"Sure, I can do it alone once in awhile, I'm not totally dependent on you to function you know!" Laughed Gildarts.

"Your dad's so nice." Said Mirajane.

"Yep..." Laughed Cana.

"By the way, I think we have something." Noted Mirajane, as she gave Cana a volume and pointed to an entry marked "Sappho."

"Hm, interesting. Sure, let's find stuff on her, no one would think of that." Decided Cana, as she and Mirajane bolted out of the house, and drove to the library.

* * *

"So, not much is known about her, because history has largely erased her thanks to the content of her work." Noted Mirajane, looking through the few biographies.

"What did people object to?"

Mirajane hesitated, but ultimately decided to come out and say it. "She wrote about her love for other women."

"That's what people hate?" Muttered Cana. "And here I thought it was shocking."

"Well it is to Americans in 1957, so I'd recommend you keep that statement quiet." Said Mirajane, a bit nervous that people would have heard them.

"But are we the best barometer?" Demanded Cana.

This seemed to reveal something deep in Mirajane's psyche, as she stared off into space in introspection. "Well I guess if you're both adults and if you're both okay with it..." She concluded.

"Basically." Agreed Cana.

"But we can't exactly say that in our presentation, so should we switch our subject?" Asked Mirajane.

"Nah, we can just spin it as a way to point out how times change." Suggested Cana. "We can't let something this unique slip through our fingers."

"Very well, but we need to be careful." Conceded Mirajane. "Now that seems like some good progress, we have notes and a topic, now I have that date."

"Have fun." Said Cana, for once seriously.

"Thanks, and I'm sorry for everything I did." It was clear that Mirajane was quite sincere herself.

"I'm ready to forgive you." Cana thought to herself, as Mirajane left; she hadn't asked for a ride, so Cana figured her date was somewhere near here.

* * *

Mirajane's date was alright. She guessed. Nothing wrong with it, Cana really stuck in her mind she guessed. Suddenly, she seemed to really _like _her. Granted, that part wasn't unusual, she'd had crushes on plenty of girls, that's what made her nervous about Cana in the first place. All the others were short lived, and she'd been able to keep those quiet. Cana seemed stronger though, she couldn't take it, it seemed. "Lucky she'd be one of the few people I can trust." Thought Mirajane, as Laxus dropped her off by the door. A small comfort, but a comfort nonetheless.

* * *

The next few weeks were uneventful, Cana and Mirajane worked on their assignment, Fried and Cana stuck together, and things progressed as normal. Except that now, Mirajane was a friend, rather than a tormentor. All of the sudden, Cana didn't hate going to school. It wasn't tedious or stressful. Honestly, it was kind of fun...

"Okay, this is the last night we have to work on this thing. Just work on delivering the speech." Cana explained as Mirajane walked in the house. Cana herself was working on what appeared to be some kind of casserole, watching the over intently. "Also, I have to watch dinner, my dad's out at a trade show, won't be home until tomorrow." Explained Korra. "I won't expect you to help clean up unless you want any."

"I'll have some." Decided Mirajane, feeling more and more comfortable around Cana. "I had a date tonight, but it wasn't an important one, I can reschedule it."

"Okay, just help me with the dishes, shouldn't be too hard to do." Cana said with a smile.

* * *

"This is really good!" Mirajane laughed, with her mouth full.

"My dad and I had a lot of cookbooks left over after my mom died, and she bookmarked all of the best food in there. It wasn't hard to find." Explained Cana.

"I can cook, but not this well..." Sighed Mirajane. "My parents say I have to learn to cook so I can cook for my husband after I get married."

"You don't want a husband, do you?" Asked Cana, detecting the melancholy in Mirajane's voice.

"No I don't." Admitted Mirajane. "In fact, I don't really want a man at all, started seeing Laxus to keep people from being suspicious."

Cana paused for a second, thinking about how to word her next sentence. "So did you call me a lesbian to direct the attention away from yourself too?"

"Yes, and for that I'm deeply sorry." Mirajane sobbed, starting to feel extremely guilty.

"Well, you were right for the record!" Laughed Cana.

"Well, it's good that we can at least trust each other." Mirajane noted, perking up.

"Kind of sweet, we met like that." Quipped Cana.

"I wasn't aware we were together!" Laughed Mirajane.

"I didn't mean-"

"No, it's okay, I kinda like it." Mirajane responded, as she reached her head across the table a gave Cana a quick kiss.

* * *

"Okay, now that that's done, we just have to wait and hope." Declared Cana, as they'd run through the presentation one last time.

"Oh, by the way, may I stay over? It's a bit late..." Asked Mirajane.

"Sure, I'm not comfortable with sleeping in the same bed as you, but feel free to use the guest room." Agreed Cana.

"Thank you very much." Said Mirajane, as she kissed her now girlfriend goodnight.

* * *

"And so, Sappho is perhaps most interesting as an exercise in how culture can change. You may be an integral part of one culture, but another may consider you unspeakable, even erase the memory of you." Mirajane concluded.

"Excellent work, you too, quite an unconventional topic, and it's good to see the two of you getting along now." Noted Bixlow. "Now, who's next?"

* * *

"Well, that's a relief..." Sighed Cana, as she flopped onto the couch in her house.

"I'm just glad we weren't apprehended for it." Mirajane nodded in agreement.

"I wonder when my dad'll be back..." Cana thought out loud, noting that it was nearly 4, and still no sign of him.

"Well until then, we may as well just stay here." Mirajane decided, as Cana sat down next to her, and they shared a long kiss.

"Cana! I'm back, sorry I'm late, ran into some traffic coming out of Indianapol-" Gildarts stopped when he saw the girls.

"Um dad... This is my, well... girlfriend..." Cana muttered, thoroughly embarrassed and also quite fearful.

"Oh, that's nice, is she staying for dinner?" Asked Gildarts, seemingly unfazed.

"Uh, if you want to." Cana told Mirajane, still bewildered by her father's nonchalance.

"Sure!" Mirajane said with a smile.

* * *

"So, your group project worked out, good to know." Noted Gildarts as they sat down to some takeout that Gildarts had picked up on his way into town.

"You're okay with us?" Asked Mirajane, still shocked to find this out.

"Sure, the way I see it, it's neither my business nor the law's, what you two have is a good thing, and there's no reason to stop it."

"Thanks dad." Cana said, with a smile.

"Also, I need to think of a way to break things off with Laxus, any ideas?" Asked Mirajane.

"Sorry, I'm not a miracle worker, you two are on your own for that one." Sighed Gildarts, as he took what remained of his food and disposed of it.

"I'm out of ideas too, maybe we should ask Fried..." Decided Cana.

* * *

"HAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Laughed Fried, after hearing about their plight.

"Fried! That's not funny! We seriously need to find a good way for Mirajane to leave Laxus!" Reprimanded Cana.

"No, it's just that I may have your answer, and it's much easier than you might think, come to the ravine out back after school, and I'll explain then." Fried explained, with a grin, and his remaining laughter stifled.

* * *

"Well, here we are..." Muttered Cana, as she and Mirajane made their way into the ravine, and waited for Fried, who walked up a few minutes later, with Laxus in tow, whom he gave a brief kiss.

"You two?" Asked Mirajane with a smile.

"Yep, Fried told me about you and Cana too. Lucky, I suppose.

"Well now I'm sorry for kicking you... Well you know." Sighed Cana.

"I deserved it, it was awful having to act like that, but people would've known had I not." Explained Laxus.

"I understand." Reassured Cana.

"I want to break this up, but I also think we should keep the charade up until after prom." Said Laxus, moving on to their purpose in being there.

"Why prom?" Asked Mirajane.

"Just to make sure people still think we're... you know."

"Okay, I'm fine with it." Decided Mirajane.

* * *

"God, that was a nightmare." Gasped Cana, who had, in a rare sight, put on a dress for the occasion, from the driver's seat of her car.

"At least it's over..." Agreed Fried, who had posed as Cana's date.

"Now our dance begins." Declared Mirajane, from the front seat next to Cana.

"About time..." Sighed Laxus. "To the lake!"

* * *

The two couples danced on that beach for hours, and at the end of it all, simply sat in a circle and chatted about their station in life, and their futures.

"Where should we go?" Asked Cana, to no one in particular. "The U.S. is hardly friendly to us, after all..."

"San Francisco and West Hollywood are reasonable candidates..." Noted Fried. "We may not be legal there, but at least we'll be around others like us."

"I'll be going to college first, but after that, I'll go there." Agreed Cana.

"I'll wait for you, here or there. Either way, I promise to visit if I can, and if not, I'll see you then." Promised Mirajane, as she and Cana shared a long, passionate kiss.

* * *

**Ending notes.**

**-This fic will take place entirely in non-connected AUs, with the only constant being that they'll take place at some point in history and that they'll all center around Cana and Mirajane.**

**-Sadly, I won't be updating this with much regularity, so be prepared for some waits.**

**-The AUs will also feature other couples where it makes sense, but Cana and Mirajane will always be the main couple.**

**-The word 'gay' is never used in this chapter because the word had a different meaning in the 1950s, and I try to avoid anachronistic dialogue.**

**-I also recognize Gildarts is OOC. I needed someone to be sympathetic, and he seemed like the best candidate, so there he is.**


	2. 1890s: Leave Your Inhibitions Behind

**A/N: At long last, the second chapter is here! Enjoy!**

**Time Period: 1890s**

**Setup: Against her will, Cana is shipped off to some obscure finishing school in Chicago. Things look rather grim, but a student one year ahead of her named Mirajane Strauss may just make these days tolerable.**

* * *

"Where is this school again? Asked Cana, annoyed at her father's gall, and taking some of it out on the coach driver.

"For the fiftieth and final time, downtown Chicago, we should be there in another hour." Reprimanded the driver. "Maybe they'll teach you an ounce of respect while you're there." He added, which further annoyed Cana.

Cana sighed, this seemed inevitable, sad as this may be. Here she was, an ambitious businesswoman-self taught, and her father had just decided to send her off to a school to teach her how to be a socialite. He knew she hated all of that, but her pleas amounted to nothing. There was simply no way to convince him of anything else. To him, Cana's only place was beside some other rich man, probably a disgusting old codger, and having a bunch of stupid kids she didn't want. The more Cana thought about it, she hated him; why did he get to call something like that. It was awful. Cana sighed to herself as she stared out the window and remembered the day she found out about this doomed trip...

* * *

Flashback: 3 months ago.

"Cana..." Began Gildarts, a disapproving look in his eyes.

"No." Cana said firmly. "You know I'm more than just a socialite!"

"I'm sorry, but as your father, I have decided that you will be the wife of a good businessman." Ordered Gildarts, impatient.

"Why!?" Demanded Cana.

"Go. Now." Barked Gildarts, in the angriest voice he could. "And you'll need more ladylike clothing, I'll have a maid take you to the city ahead of time."

* * *

That was one of the worst days of her life, even though she was more or less aware that that was to be her fate. She'd known since she was a little girl organizing the neighborhood boys into a battalion of soldiers that she wanted to lead people, not on the battlefield as she'd originally thought, but rather as a business magnate like her father. She'd spent hours upon hours and late nights training herself to run a company, in hopes that her father would see her prowess. No such luck. Cana was sent off to this damn finishing school. Miss Sherry's, was it called? She didn't care now. At this point, her life was shot, this damn dress itched like hell, and she would prefer not to think about the abominable device called the corset that was currently attempting to suffocate her. In any event, she sat complacent and for the time being defeated, thinking about her home in the suburbs and all of her friends there. It was sad, really. There was no chance for a woman like her, it seemed...

"Here we are, ma'am." Said the driver, as he halted the horses and opened the carriage door. Cana left the cab and directed her to the front door of the institution.

* * *

The school's main office was vibrantly decorated with ornate rugs, Cana guessed from Persia, and statues of gods and monsters that Cana knew as being from China and India. Seated at the desk was a middle-aged woman with pink hair tied back in a very proper fashion, a sign on her desk declared her to be "Sherry Vastia." She wore a proper white dress and a dour expression as she sized up the new student before her. "Hm, and you would be?" She asked.

"Cana Alberona."

"Hm, yes, here you are, 18 years old... Heir to Alberona hotels, and according to the letter sent by your father, a bit of a problem child..." Noted Sherry, looking through a file marked 'new arrivals.'

Cana tensed up at the mention of the last statement.

"Well I know we'll have you a proper lady in three years time." Announced Sherry, as she pulled out more papers, and handed them to Cana. "These are the school rules and schedule, your room-you'll be in the same room as a returning student, and finally a list of events for the coming school year, you'll do well to remember them."

"Thanks..." Cana muttered, sarcastically.

* * *

"Well, here's the room." Noted Cana, as she found herself before the door that her key fit. To be fair to this place, it was well equipped, electric lighting and running water both present was quite nice, even if this school was hell on earth...

"Hm, are you my roommate?" Asked a voice emanating from the room.

"No, I'm your prince charming." Said Cana, rolling her eyes.

"I can do without the sarcasm." Laughed the voice, as the door open revealing its owner, a prim looking woman with white hair and green eyes, wearing a light blue dress and a muted red corset. Cana would deny it if you asked her, but she was the most beautiful woman she'd ever seen. "I'm Mirajane Strauss, heiress of Strauss Meats." She said with a curtsy

"Cana Alberona, heiress of Alberona Hotels." Cana returned, as she clumsily attempted the same and promptly fell on the floor, gasping for air thanks to the damn corset again.

"Well, that was... Odd." muttered Mirajane as she helped Cana up and led her into the room.

* * *

"So, what's your story?" Asked Cana, sitting down on her bed and finally loosing the corset, and feeling breath return to her.

"My story?" Asked Mirajane, sitting on her own bed and giving Cana a bewildered look.

"Well yeah, what happened with you, why are you here, what's your big plan?" Continued Cana.

"I... guess I just went with my parents' wishes." Sighed Mirajane, downcast.

"Well, there's nothing _wrong_ with that, but you have to have hopes and dreams of your own..." Pressed Cana.

"Not really, I just did what I was told. I guess I like those old legends about knights..." Mirajane continued, searching herself.

"Hey, it's a start!" Laughed Cana, winking at Mirajane with a big grin.

"What do you mean, start?" Asked Mirajane.

"I'm making it my mission to get you to have some fun!" Announced Cana, with a laugh.

"No, you need to be a lady, and I was placed as your roommate to ensure you followed the program." Reprimanded Mirajane.

"Fair enough, let's make a friendly competition out of it; let's see who wins this. Will I get you to lighten up and be your own person, or will you get me to conform to society?" Said Cana, smiling all the while.

"Well in that case... This won't be any trouble at all." Laughed Mirajane.

"Baby steps." Thought Cana, as she saw her roommate's tension fade after the previous comment.

* * *

"Now, to review the setup of the dining room." Instructed Bisca, one of the school's teachers, inspecting each student's work, and stopping immediately at Cana's. "Miss, the placement of silverware is not even close to the instructions. The knives are to be placed with forks, and the salad fork is nowhere to be found!" She reprimanded.

"I don't see why it matters..." Muttered Cana staring her teacher straight in the eye.

"Well it most certainly does, and I will not stand for your advocacy of deportment anarchy."

"Deportment anarchy?" Asked Cana, bewildered by the bizarreness of the statement.

"Yes, and unless you remain quiet while I finish, I will request to use corporal punishment on you." Fumed Bisca.

Cana stopped. Nothing was worth being paddled, no matter how entertaining the dialogue was becoming.

"I thought so, now do it again, and this time _correctly._" Ordered Bisca.

* * *

"You do know how bad you make me look, right?" Asked Mirajane, semi-jokingly, as the two entered their room after the day's classes were over.

"Yes, I do." Answered Cana, playing along.

"Well, I'm not done yet, not even close. You still haven't won." Announced Mirajane.

"Same to you." Agreed Cana, as she changed into her normal outfit of a much looser fitting frock (the school still would not allow her to wear pants).

"Hey, you know that there's a mock ball coming up pretty soon, right?" Asked Mirajane, with a smile.

"Right, I remember that, there was supposed to be a delegation from a men's college coming to join us for it." Noted Cana.

"Yeah, I wonder if we'll find anyone." Sighed Mirajane.

"You'll have better odds than me, I figure." Said Cana, primarily because she was more focused on wooing Mirajane than any member of the male sex.

"Hah, well thank you, but you're quite beautiful yourself..." Said Mirajane, sheepishly.

Cana Blushed at that. Her feelings for her roommate were only getting stronger it seemed...

* * *

"Now remember, you must be formally introduced to any man you meet at this ball before talking to him. Upon formal introduction, the two of you may converse, and the dance may begin if you both agree to it." Reminded Sherry, to the students as they made their way into the hotel's opulent ballroom that the two schools had rented.

"Right, ma'am." The collective voices of the students affirmed, as they entered the main room, an elegant space with a few tables off to the side, and a floor with little ornamentation. There was an orchestra on the balcony to provide music and a complex mural on the ceiling. The elegant space in vogue these days, it seemed.

"Now, you will be graded, but simply remember your training, and above all enjoy yourselves." Instructed Sherry, as she quietly walked off to the hotel's bar.

"Well, we have all night to do what our stupid society has told us to... Where do we start?" Cana asked Mirajane.

"You know I don't like hearing that out of you." Reprimanded Mirajane.

"Well you know I don't like hearing your ideas about tradition either." Countered Cana, as the two sat down at a small table near the floor.

"We can discuss women in modern society later, for now, let's see about the men." Offered Mirajane.

"Sure." Conceded Cana, still thoroughly indifferent to men as a whole.

* * *

"This is Laxus Dreyar, and the lady is Cana Alberona." Explained their host, a flamboyant but very much endearing fellow by the name of Bob, leading Cana by the hand to a man with a clean cut of blonde hair who was presently tugging at his suit; seemingly uncomfortable at the very least.

"Hello." Muttered Laxus, awkwardly, and staring off into space.

"Well, what's your story?" Asked Cana, putting on the bravest face she could.

"Well, I'm heir to a company that manufactures light bulbs, but I find it dreadfully boring. I wish to fight in a war myself, but my father insists on my taking his company over." Explained Laxus.

"Well, I may relate to that." Answered Cana.

"Oh?"

"I wish to run a company, but my father would have me married off to some dull man and give male heirs." Explained Cana, already hopeful that this Laxus would be willing to give her rein on the company.

"Hahahahahahaahahaha!" Laxus burst out laughing. No such luck, it seemed.

"Now what's so funny?" Demanded Cana, knowing full well the answer, and extremely angry.

"You're no one to run a company, you're well..."

"A woman?" Asked Cana, the last shred of her temper gone, as she walked over to Laxus, ready to punch him so hard he'd drop to the floor, but before then deciding not to, because she wished not trigger Sherry's ire.

"May I have this dance?" Asked Cana, clenching her teeth and holding back her anger.

"Of course." Answered Laxus, seemingly oblivious to Cana's displeasure, as he joined with her and they began an awkward waltz.

* * *

Mirajane sighed heavily as she looked on at Cana and Laxus dancing. That Laxus fellow looked so happy, but then Cana clearly didn't. Knowing her, Cana surely wasn't dancing with that man willingly, but she still had to... Was that really right? Mirajane found herself thinking. "You know, maybe Cana isn't far off..." Mirajane thought to herself. The more she thought about it, it _did_ seem wrong for people to tell her every little aspect of her life, and what had her life been but a series of such events? Still, Mirajane settled herself in her seat and calmly looked on, feeling a bit for Cana, and finding her strangely beautiful, despite the quite obvious scowl on her face.

* * *

"Cana, that man there, did you think he might be a husband for you?" Asked Mirajane, later, in their room, even though she knew that the answer would be no.

"Not now, not ever." Confirmed Cana. "He was simply horrible, although I'm sure you're disappointed that you had no dances all night; I'd have gladly given him up."

'Not really, actually." Answered Mirajane with a wry smile. "I felt nothing for any such man there, I don't find it disappointing that they felt the same."

Cana and Mirajane sat in silence for a few seconds, and then burst out laughing.

"I can't believe men think that we need to be shown interest in for us to show interest!" Declared Cana, noting the oddity with the solidarity of her friend.

"It is truly ridiculous!" Agreed Mirajane, sharing the joy with her friend, and bursting ever more from her shell.

"Well, seeing as our evil lord protectors will be finding more busywork for us tomorrow, I'd advise sleep for now." Said Cana, with a yawn.

"Agreed." Sighed Mirajane, feeling more tired herself, though sleep was the last thing on her mind. Cana was all that was there now. It seemed that she was falling in love. Cana was seeming more wonderful with each passing day, and now she just had to know, how might they be happy together? If they didn't leave the school, there was no chance of that, but was there anything else they could do? Surely, their families wouldn't sit by while they ran off together, and the law might not appreciate them either; was the risk worth it? Needless to say, Mirajane caught little sleep that night, she lay awake for hours pondering her newfound feelings for her roommate.

* * *

"Well, now we return home for the Christmas holidays." Noted Mirajane, packing her bags and with a servant helping her carry them out.

"You know, coming into this, I thought that today couldn't come soon enough, but given that I can't talk with you, it may not be as great as I thought." Noted Cana.

"Well, we'll be back in a month." Said Mirajane, with an earnest smile. "And by the way, here's a little something for you." Mirajane said, holding out a medium-sized box wrapped in vibrant paper.

Cana tore the wrapping open, and opened the cardboard box to reveal a pocket knife of excellent construction, it was clad in a wood casing and the blade was just the right length and width. The device was perfect for Cana, given her love for the outdoors, and she could hardly contain her excitement. "This is incredible! Thank you so much!" She shouted, causing a few confused stares from the hall. "Oh, and I have something for you." Cana said as she regained her composure and handed Mirajane a similarly wrapped package.

Mirajane unwrapped it, and found a well-preserved storybook within, which had a painting of a knight on the cover.

"I remembered that you loved that kind of thing, and seeing that at the book shop made me think of you." Explained Cana.

"I can't thank you enough..." Muttered Mirajane, tears of joy forming in her eyes as she pulled Cana into a strong embrace, which Cana reciprocated.

"See you in January." Cana said, as she began packing her own bags.

* * *

"Hm, that other woman you were talking with..." Muttered Mirajane's driver.

"Cana? She and I shared that room for the past several months." Said Mirajane, with a wistful smile.

"Well it seems like the two of you were great friends, you must really be happy to have her around."

"Well it didn't start that way, but yes, I must say she's been amazing." Answered Mirajane, slightly pained by the 'friend' comment; all in all, Mirajane was having trouble seeing Cana as _only _a friend anymore.

* * *

"So, how was your Christmas?" Asked Cana, rejoining Mirajane in the same room.

"Well, my parents were pleased with my efforts in helping my mother organize the dinner, and my talent at the harp was applauded." Said Mirajane. "Although the gifts I received paled in comparison to yours."

"Mine was a bit less enjoyable, my father insisted I show my progress in etiquette, and had me handle dinner proceedings. I failed miserably of course, and was promptly confined to my bedroom for the remainder of the holiday. At the very least, I had a good deal of time to read, mostly dime novels, but still." Explained Cana.

"That's awful." Sighed Mirajane.

"Yes, but I'm already working on a plan to get myself on my feet after I leave this atrocity of a place, so don't feel too bad for me." Said Cana.

"That's nice." Mirajane noted as she embraced Cana again, both of them feeling much better now.

"And hey, I want to do something special, just us two, after the weather gets warm." Said Cana. "Get a tennis racket, and I'll show you how to use it."

"Okay..." Muttered Mirajane; she'd wanted to try tennis for awhile, but never had. She'd made one offhanded mention of it months ago, but hadn't anticipated Cana remembering it.

"Hey, I remember you said something about it, and I happen to know a little bit about it." Explained Cana. "Seriously, get ready!"

"Okay, okay!" Laughed Mirajane, and finding it ever harder to say something. No one had ever been like this to her. Not her parents, not her friends back home. Cana simply _got _her, and it was beautiful. "You know what?" Thought Mirajane. "Maybe I ought to say something, soon as Cana takes me out to do this, at least she might understand..." Mirajane concluded, as she bid Cana goodbye and ran off to the public library, in search of advice in the reference books.

* * *

3 Months later.

Mirajane returned to her room and flopped down on her bed, tired but excited. Today was undoubtedly the day. Mirajane would tell Cana just how it was she felt or die gloriously trying. In the simultaneous excitement and stress, Mirajane chose a shorter frock to wear and grabbed the tennis racket Cana had instructed her to bring, as well as a bit of a favor, a bouquet of violets. Mirajane smiled with a sense of both nervousness and joy, as she left for the nearby park Cana told her to come to.

* * *

"There you are! I was getting worried I was stood up!" Quipped Cana, being sure to make it clear that she was joking.

"Nope, you can't be rid of me just like that!" Laughed Mirajane, setting aside the bouquet and joining Cana. "You're wearing shorts?"

"You aren't?" Countered Cana.

"Well... That isn't the most ladylike of clothing..."

"Have you known me to care? And you try tennis in a dress, which you will, though to be fair you did choose one that should work just fine." Responded Cana.

"Fair enough." Mirajane said, with a big smile.

"All right then, let's begin with basic stance..." Began Cana.

* * *

"Good, good, now you're getting it!" Exclaimed Cana, with a big grin as she threw tennis balls for Mirajane to hit, which the latter did with a great deal of accuracy and fervor.

"Great, but I'm a bit... Winded." Sighed Mirajane, as she walked off the court, a smile on her face, as she went to where she'd set the bouquet. "How did you even learn how to play tennis?"

"Well, my father was an enthusiast, had a court on our lawn even, and whenever he went out on some kind of trip, I was always bugging one servant or other to teach me. I managed to get a solid grounding in it from that. All of that said, what are your plans for the rest of today, Mira? Asked Cana."

"I was hoping to stick with you, but what comes next is kind of private..." Explained Mirajane.

"Well, wherever you were hoping to take me, lead the way." Agreed Cana, a little bit excited to hear exactly what this secretive matter was.

"Sure, I was planning to go to that strange little secluded beach by the lake I mentioned finding last year." Said Mirajane, an ever more hopeful look in her eyes.

"Well lead the way!" Agreed Cana.

* * *

The beach itself proved nice enough, it was far from the clamor of the city and gave a good look at the less-than-welcoming yet beautiful lake that stood before them. It may have lacked amenities such as places to sit, but that seemed trivial as both women had little to think about apart from their growing feelings for each other.

"So Cana..." Began Mirajane, clutching the flowers tightly.

"Yes, what were you hoping to talk about?" Asked Cana.

"Well, I kind of realized something important about me-you-us..." Mirajane continued, struggling for the words.

"Go on..." Muttered Cana, hopeful but hardly believing that the target of her affections was confessing her own feelings.

"Well I really wanted to give these to you, because-" Mirajane stuttered as she offered Cana the violets.

"Because?" Asked Cana, expectant.

"Becasue I like you much more than a friend!" Declared Mirajane, who then awkwardly hid her head, and wishing herself far away from that beach.

"Well, you aren't alone." Promised Cana, as she tugged on Mirajane's frock, coaxing her closer, and planting a passionate kiss on the other woman's lips.

"You-you feel the same way?" Asked Mirajane.

"No, I'm just investigating this mysterious feeling called love for my home planet-of course I feel the same way!" Laughed Cana.

"There's the sarcasm I know and love..." Sighed Mirajane, giving Cana a kiss back.

"Oh, by the way, I wanted to ask you something." Said Cana, with an earnest smile.

"Shoot."

"Well given that the Columbian exposition opens in a month, and I thought to ask someone to see it with me, would you go with me?"

"Of course!" Said Mirajane, pulling Cana into another kiss.

* * *

One month later...

Mirajane walked into her room to find it empty, which was odd, because Cana was usually present there around the same time, and doubly so given that this was the night of their date. Searching Cana's side of the room, she found a note with Cana's handwriting. It read 'meet me 3 blocks west of here, I have a plan.' Mirajane broke out into a huge smile; loving the eccentricity that was embodied in Cana Alberona.

* * *

"So, what's the big plan?" Asked Mirajane, noting Cana leaning on a building. She was wearing a darker green shirt and jeans, and was smoking a cigarette.

"What, no comment on how 'unladylike' I look?" Asked Cana, with a big grin.

"Well, I've learned a thing or two over time, but shouldn't you be dressed nicer?" Asked Mirajane.

"Except that the plan is kind of to sneak in... I should have told you that..." Muttered Cana.

"We have allowances, why can't we just pay admission?" Asked Mirajane, bewildered at Cana's suggestion.

"Ah, but which will you remember more?"

Mirajane thought for a second; She guessed Cana had a point; it'd be infinitely more of a story to say they sneaked into the fair than just to say that they attended... "All right, fair enough, but can I at least get some clothes I'm not worried about damaging first?"

"Sure, I'll still be here." Agreed Cana, finishing the cigarette and stamping the ashes out underfoot.

* * *

"Now, how do we get in again?" Asked Mirajane, as Cana steered her away from the gates of the fair.

"Well, we need to climb over the fence into the white city, that'll be that.

"But there are people all over the place, unless we can find a raft and come in from the lake, we'd be noticed..." Sighed Mirajane.

"Well one of us can spot for the other or something..." Mused Cana.

"Because that won't be suspicious at all..." Laughed Mirajane.

"Hey! Rampant sarcasm is my job." Countered Cana, kissing Mirajane's cheek.

"Well, it's either a raft or we pay admission." Sighed Mirajane.

"Fine, admission it is." Agreed Cana, as she produced two quarters from her pocket.

"I'll pay mine." Said Mirajane, prompting Cana to put one of the quarters back in her pocket.

* * *

"Look at this Mira!" Declared Cana, motioning her lover to the massive mammoth on display compared to the size of an octopus. "These furry lunks used to roam North America it says here."

"I know that!" Declared Mirajane, slightly annoyed by Cana's condescension.

* * *

"All of these female artists; it's nice to see women getting a voice in this exposition." Noted Mirajane, admiring the paintings on the wall.

"I like this painting, kind of reminds me of the crazy dresses you like." Laughed Cana, pointing to a painting that fit that description.

"Hey!" Shouted Mirajane, but with a contented smile on her face.

"Well I didn't say crazy was bad..." Cana jokingly amended as Mirajane pulled her to a quiet corner for a kiss.

* * *

"Well, that was quite a display." Noted Cana, admiring the cannons on display, hoping that she'd get to see one fire.

"How about we find something to eat?" Suggested Mirajane, suddenly finding herself quite hungry.

"Oh, sure." Agreed Cana as they found a stand and a table.

* * *

"Damn..." Muttered Cana.

"What?" Asked Mirajane, suddenly worried about Cana's sudden drop in mood.

"We only have 50 cents left, and I wanted to close out tonight with a ride on that big ol' wheel, a Ferris Wheel I think they're calling it..." Explained Cana. "It'd be a dollar for both of us; that's why I tried to sneak in."

"Well, let me see here, I have... 25 cents..." Sighed Mirajane.

"Well, we could sneak onto the wheel." Joked Cana.

"I think that'll be even harder to accomplish..." Laughed Mirajane.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't help but overhear..." Muttered a voice belonging to a middle aged woman with red hair, who was accompanied by another woman of around the same age with blonde hair. "The two of you want to ride the Ferris Wheel?"

"Um-yes." Said Mirajane.

"Well then, here's that dollar you need." Offered the woman, giving them a dollar bill.

"Actually, we only needed 25 cents." Explained Mirajane.

"Oh, don't worry, spend the extra on something to remember this day by, and the two of you are a fantastic couple, I can tell."

"We're not-" Began Cana.

"Oh don't be shy, my wife and I can tell when women like you are in love." Insisted the redhead's companion.

"Thank you..." Began Cana.

"Erza Scarlet." Said the redhead, as she and her wife walked off.

"Well, that was nice of them." Noted Mirajane as she and Cana cleared off their table and left for that massive wheel.

* * *

The ride on the ferris wheel was a rousing success, Cana and Mirajane talked endlessly of the fair and of life, enjoyed the view from that high loft, and shared kiss after kiss, as they were now in private. It was the most wonderful part of that fair, and both were sad when the wheel descended and they disembarked.

"Well, I suppose we ought to leave now, it's closing up for the day." Noted Mirajane.

"What choice do we have?" Cana agreed, wistfully, as the two walked out of the square and toward the gate.

* * *

"Now, where does this leave us?" Asked Mirajane, as she and Cana huddled together in the latter's bed, as they had started doing about two weeks ago as they had grown closer together. It was fortunate that no one woke the students up in the morning and thus none saw them.

"Well, if we want any chance together, we need to leave here, probably soon." Mused Cana.

"All right, but what of the public, and what of money?" Asked Mirajane.

"Well, I think I have an idea for money; I know how to run a business, and I'm utterly positive that rubber will be worth millions as time goes on. I can sell rubber supplies to clothing companies, but also the military and to carriage manufacturers; I'm certain that rubber will be incorporated into wheels for the last two, the elasticity of rubber when mixed with sulfur would be ideal." Explained Cana.

"Well then what shall I do? I found out long ago that housewife was not my profession." Continued Mirajane.

"Well there's nothing stopping you from learning the ropes and taking a role in the business." Offered Cana. "Try that for awhile, see where it leads."

"That all sounds wonderful, but what of our relationship?" Asked Mirajane. "Surely we can't openly declare ourselves in love."

"Well we may not be able to go that far, but I know that there is a method to declare yourself living with another woman, so long as we push the details to the side." Noted Cana.

"Really, I had no idea..." Muttered Mirajane.

"You really were sheltered growing up." Laughed Cana, kissing Mirajane good night, and switching off the room's lamp.

* * *

**A/N: I do hope this was worth the entirely too long wait. I'm sorry that I couldn't work Gray in this chapter, but I promise to figure him out in the next one... I also hope that this chapter wasn't too similar to the last. It had a similar arc to it, but the development and events were hopefully different enough to set this apart. If indeed it was too similar, say so and I'll try to avoid this pitfall in the future. In any event, I hope you enjoyed.**


	3. 120 CE: Vivamus, Mea Lesbia!

**A/N: I'll be updating this one a little less because I'm starting college soon, but here's a little bit more, and I may or may not post one more before then. If I haven't gotten anything up for this story after August 17th, assume a few more months' wait. Sorry.**

**Time Period: Ancient Rome, around 120 CE.**

**Setup: Cana is a slave from Lusitania (Portugal) who has been convicted of inciting rebellion, she is sentenced to fight in the ring as a gladiatrix. Mirajane is the wife of an Imperial legate who's never home. When Mirajane sees Cana in a fight at the Colosseum, things get more and more tense.**

* * *

"And so, Cana of Lusitania, you are hereby declared guilty of rebellion against the state of Rome and against your noble master. You are hereby sentenced to ad _venatori_ or _ad gladitori,_ your training for the Colosseum begins immediately." The Judge declared, a cruel smile on his face.

"Very well! I will earn my freedom in the ampitheaters, because I couldn't in my master's house!" Cana shouted, and spit on the ground, before being walked out of the court and into the streets of the Roman forum.

"Now, you'll find it easy to find a school to train you!" Laughed a guard, as he prodded Cana to a raised platform where slaves were being sold for the arena, and the house as well.

"We have a good, fit gladiatrix! She'll be Colosseum ready in a few months!" Her captor declared, holding up Cana's arm to draw attention to her.

"Gladiatrix..." Cana thought to herself. That was all she was to this slaver. She wasn't a person, she was a good to be bought and sold. That was all she ever was to anyone. Cana was the daughter of a slave, and of course she was doomed to be a slave from birth until the age of thirty. It was a sad life. She saw the parties and all the games and petty concerns of her masters, and she had to work for just enough food to keep her from going hungry. At 20, she could take no more. She and a few other slaves began colluding with others at the city market they all frequented. The collective began to train with oak branches, and when they'd built up the nerve, took some weapons, and started attacking the legion in the area. They fought well, but they were no match for trained soldiers, having neither the numbers nor the skill. Their great revolution ended in ten minutes, and the few among them who were alive were carted off into more slavery. Cana sighed harshly. She guessed that this might be preferable; she might be made free if she did well, and if she died, she couldn't imagine it being significantly worse than being a slave in a wealthy home.

"Sold!" Declared the auctioneer, which snapped Cana back into reality and now aware of her circumstance. She was sold to a tall, muscular man with gray hair and a big smile on his face. Cana felt a bit of relief at seeing the trainer, she thought the man looked decently nice. Small comfort. Cana dutifully followed the man to his training ground, near the edge of town.

* * *

"Now! As I know you're new, here are the ground rules!" Declared Elfman, as Cana had found out the man's name was. "No leaving unless I give explicit permission, and only then you may not do anything I did not explicitly allow you to do. You must also only train when I instruct you to. You must not train at times or under circumstances I have not approved. Finally you must eat when I direct you to and sleep at the times I direct you to, no exceptions! Any questions?"

"Uh-" Began Cana.

"Good, now eat!" Shouted Elfman, as an employee brought a worn-out plate of what appeared to be bean paste.

"But-"

"No exceptions!" Shouted Elfman.

Cana nervously started eating the paste, terrible as it tasted.

"Now, sleep after this, we have a big day tomorrow, see if you just might be a legend as they say." Said Elfman, as he walked to his private quarters and Cana finished the bean paste.

Cana sighed as she was guided to a room in the camp, Elfman was harsh, but it seemed as though he might just have a heart under it all...

* * *

"Now then, new recruits, we start with these." Elfman motioned to a set of rods of different lengths. "These are practice weapons, designed for you to avoid killing each other until you've got a live audience." He further explained. "Now choose a weapon, and get to it."

Cana picked up two shorter rods, and after the others picked their own weapons, as Elfman called the trainees to square off.

"Well, you're pretty good." Noted Elfman, as Cana easily disarmed Gray, a male trainee, and had him on the ground in seconds. "Maybe start you off as a Dimachaerus..."

"What about the other one?" Asked Racer, one of the camp employees.

"He'll do well enough, just get him on a different course." Ordered Elfman. "I'll personally train his opponent."

* * *

"Now, the Dimachaerus style is one of the most difficult to master, it involves moderate armor and two swords." Explained Elfman, giving Cana a scaled armor set and two _gladii; _swords of about the same length as the rods from earlier.

Cana equipped the armor and picked up the swords, as Elfman picked up a scimitar and a shield. "Now, how am I supposed to do this?" She asked.

"Well, each sword has to sub for a shield at any given time, but you can use either one to attack as well, it's a faster-paced style with a bit of risk and reward." Elfman said, as he squared off against Cana, and charged at her, Cana caught the sword with one of hers, and the shield with the other, but was thrown to the ground by the force of Elfman pushing his shield against Cana and throwing her off her balance. "See, there it is, a stronger opponent can push you down, because their weight is focused on a single point, so you should probably avoid clashing like that." Directed Elfman.

"What should I do then?" Asked Cana, confused over the advice.

"You need to block briefly, using a quick counter, and then get your blade out, then go in for a strike." Explained Elfman, coming in again. This time, Cana followed her mentor's instructions, and when they clashed, surged forward, and put her right hand sword against Elfman's neck.

"Good work, you're learning; should be ready for the Colosseum in a couple of weeks." Said Elfman, a big smile on his face.

"Well, good, or is that bad?" Sighed Cana.

"If you want to be freed, then it's good, and hey, you may just have a job here, training gladiatrix initiates. If, of course, you last, but things are looking good so far."

"Well, good then." Said Cana, picking herself back up, and feeling good about her oddly compassionate handler.

"Now, eat!" Ordered Elfman, as a cook brought in more bean paste.

* * *

One month later...

"One more night..." Cana thought to herself, as she was directed by Elfman to sleep more, as she was set to fight for the first time ever the next day. It was the most nerve wracking experience she'd had since being captured, even though she'd take death over continuing to be a slave, she still very much enjoyed being alive. Odd, but that was where Cana was in her life, and she knew full well she had a risk of dying tomorrow.

"Hey, Cana!" Gray said, catching the gladiatrix before she went to her room. "I need to show you something."

"Huh?" Managed Cana before Gray pulled her into a corner of the training ground's quarters.

"Seeing as you may just die tomorrow, I feel like I ought to let you be free for one night." Explained Gray, as he led Cana down a dark passage that felt like it was curving downward, though it was hard to tell in the low light of the night.

"What is this?" Asked Cana, a bit annoyed but willing to indulge Gray for this escapade.

"A taste of freedom." Gray led her to a city street just outside of the passage.

"What the..." Muttered Cana, as she saw a mostly empty street with only a few people, but a few stands and carts nonetheless. "I can't do this." She sighed. "I can do this when I'm free, I'm not going to put my ass on the line, Gray."

"Fine... You do that, I'm going to have a bit of fun." Said Gray, as Cana retreated back into the passage, but not before catching the eye of a certain woman in an opulent house from the window.

Mirajane could scarcely believe her eyes; that brown haired woman was the most beautiful she'd ever seen, and she was already a bit melancholy that there was little chance she'd see her again.

"Ma'am?" Asked a servant-Mirajane had no slaves, finding the practice distasteful.

"It's nothing, I'm fine." Said Mirajane, a bit nervous. After all, she couldn't exactly say she liked women, but of course her husband Laxus could cavort around with that green haired Tribune Freed and no one batted an eye. Damn double standards.

* * *

"To start today, we have an absolutely fantastic set of promising gladiatrix! A Lusitanian rebel, merciless and skilled, and a Germainian stronger than any gladiatrix I've ever seen!" Declared the emperor, with a flourish as he sat in his highly visible throne as Cana, along with her opponent Bisca emerged from opposite sides of the arena and began squaring off, Cana wearing an apron of leather armor leaving her head exposed and wielding two short swords, and Bisca wearing a hefty set of armor with a longer sword and a massive shield. "Now, we will see who among you is the victor. Begin."

Cana sprung forward and went straight for the throat of her opponent, but was immediately blocked by the thick shield. She sprung back as Bisca pushed ahead, trying in vain to throw Cana off balance. Cana resumed her assault, clashing her two blades against Bisca's one. Bisca struggled, but pushed Cana back once again with a quick shield strike.

"Damn it, hasn't she learned anything from training?" Thought Elfman to himself, from the stands. He'd taught her to work around shields, and here she was falling for the same tricks again. Elfman stared hard at his protegee in annoyance.

Cana gasped for air as she fell back once again from Bisca's impact. It was the same feeling as when she defied the legion. It wasn't pleasant or thrilling, only fear. She needed something good, and fast. At that moment, she noticed Elfman in the stands, and she was reminded of her training. Of course! She just had to block briefly, and follow up with a quick counter. She ran at Bisca again, this time deliberately striking her shield. As Bisca prepared to push back, Cana let up suddenly, causing her opponent to lurch forward, and giving Cana the opening she needed. She rushed in, kneed Bisca, and sent her to the ground, and she got on her knees. Cana waited expectantly and looked to the emperor for the word. She knew that a fellow fighter's life was not in her hands but in the hands of Rome's great ruler, a thumbs up and this Bisca would live, a thumbs down, and she would die. The emperor extended his fist, and raised his thumb upward, and Cana sheathed her blades.

* * *

"Ha ha! You did excellently, you shall be rewarded." Laughed Elfman, meeting Cana outside of the arena.

"I... just remembered what you said." Admitted Cana, with a sheepish grin.

"Well good work, you're a bright spot in the ring, and some day, I'll be proud to see you freed." Said Elfman, with a sincere smile in return.

"Lady Mirajane?" Asked a servant of hers, a gray haired woman named Laki, as the lady ran from the arena and attempted to follow Elfman and Cana.

"Wait here, one of the competitors from earlier today has caught my attention." Ordered Mirajane, as she left Laki and bolted off, hoping to find the gladiatrix; she was that woman she saw by the bedroom window. Perhaps she was a student of the gladiator school near her house. That would certainly be serendipitous, Mirajane thought to herself, following the woman and her handler, to the street corner where the school was on one side, and Mirajane's residence on the other. Sure enough, they returned to the training grounds not fifty feet from Mirajane's house. Now this was an interesting development.

* * *

"So, how do I look?" Mirajane asked Laki, as she applied a good amount of makeup and inspected herself in a bronze mirror.

"Why? You don't have any social events tonight." Interjected Laki.

"I'm visiting a certain gladiator, and I want to impress." Explained Mirajane.

"An affair? You're of high standing!"

"What affair, neither my husband nor I feel the slightest thing for each other, and he doesn't even hide his love for that Tribune, I don't see why I can't do the same." Argued Mirajane.

"Fine, but I will take no blame if the public hears of this and this becomes a scandal." Said Laki, complacent but dissatisfied.

"Well it won't." Countered Mirajane, as she left the room and made her way to the training grounds, a lightness in her step and no plan at all.

* * *

"Wait..." Thought Mirajane, as it dawned on her that she hadn't thought about how she might get in. She figured she wouldn't be allowed in, and she'd need either a good reason to be there or to sneak in, the latter seemed completely harebrained, but the other would be a bit of a difficulty from a logical perspective. She couldn't see much reason to be there, except the obvious, that she'd see that gladiatrix, which of course wouldn't be a valid reason... Damn! Mirajane was snapped out of her musings by Gray, standing by the corner, as he often did.

"Lady, you need help?" He asked, raising an eyebrow at the mysterious woman in front of him.

"Well..." Began Mirajane, not sure of what to say but eventually deciding on simply telling the truth. "I'm looking to meet a gladiatrix that fought today."

"Sure, pay me a few denarii and I'll hook you up, so long as she's owned by Elfman." Agreed Gray.

"Okay, I think her name is Cana." Explained Mirajane, handing Gray the money.

"Yeah I know her, follow me and I'll get you to her, the name's Gray, by the way." Said Gray, leading Mirajane into the tunnel beneath the school and into the area of the gladiator dormitory reserved for winning gladiators.

* * *

Cana felt a bit better in her new surroundings. She had been given a larger and slightly more comfortable room after her success in the ring, and even a small cut of the profits, for when she was freed. Things were going well.

"Hey Cana, you have a fan." Deadpanned Gray as he lead Mirajane into the chamber and the gray haired woman blushed from a vague feeling of embarrassment brought on by Gray's frank introduction.

"Um- My name's Mirajane..." Mirajane sighed, at a loss for words when faced with the object of her affections.

"You know me, and I suppose you saw my debut earlier. I don't love the ring." Cana admitted.

"Well you were amazing, that was such an intense match. I really thought you might die.." Complimented Mirajane.

"I'm good at fights, but my whole life, I've been forced into it. I want to just settle down for awhile." Explained Cana.

"Didn't you start that rebellion a few months ago?" Asked Mirajane, recalling that its ringleader was a Lusitanian woman.

"The same, I'd had enough, and look where it got me." At that, Gray left the room.

"I'm sorry..."

"What the hell? You sure aren't sorry enough not to have slaves." Retorted Cana.

"No! I don't have any, I pay all of my household staff, and they can leave if they don't like the work I give them." Protested Mirajane.

"I-I'm sorry I accused you like that." Sighed Cana, as she retreated her head into a nearby pillow with embarrassment.

"No, if you were right, I'd have agreed with you." Agreed Mirajane, placing a reassuring hand on Cana's shoulder. "And hey, you're really amazing, I'd love to talk more, if Gray will keep helping, and if you ever get freed, go to my house, I may have a bit of honest work for you."

"I look forward to it." Agreed Cana, giving her new friend, the first she'd had in a long time, a tight and affectionate hug.

"I'll see you another night, and of course in the arena." Said Mirajane, as she left the room and made her way back to her house.

* * *

Weeks passed, Cana won several matches in the arena, and soon, she was one of the best known gladiatrixies in all of Rome, this, of course meant Elfman would do what he could to make some cash off of her...

Cana walked up and down the street with a sign extolling the virtues of an ink made by one Levy Macgarden, apparently a Caledonian woman known for her poetry as well as ink, but Cana had no idea about that, she was just there to hawk whatever business was sponsoring her this week. Winning did have the upside that she got some time outside of the training grounds, even if that time was spent advertising products she barely knew about.

"Cana?" Asked a familiar and welcome voice, belonging of course to the lovely Mirajane.

"Hey, Mira!" Cana shouted, her friend a sight for sore eyes.

"So, according to you, I should buy ink from Levy?" Asked Mirajane, giving a cursory glance at Cana's sign.

"I don't know, it's just a deal Elfman struck. People buy from businesses gladiators mention."

"I sure as hell know that..." Muttered Mirajane. "You know, if you remove the slavery thing, you gladiators have a pretty sweet deal..."

"I don't want to hear things like that." Sighed Cana, a bit agitated, but not to the point where she'd abandon Cana.

"Sorry. I've never been a slave, I assume it's worse than I imagine." Sighed Mirajane.

"More importantly, you have to realize I may never be freed. There's a good chance I'll die before I'm free." Continued Cana.

"Well how about this, I buy you and free you? I can afford to do that you know." Offered Mirajane.

"No way Elfman'll sell, I'm way more valuable to him right now than any fighter he's ever had. He can sell me once I lose some of the profit." Explained Cana.

"You could lose on purpose?" Suggested Mirajane.

"That won't work either, I might die there. I can't well predict the emperor's mood on any given day, he may just decide I die one day when I do that." Countered Cana.

"Well, this is a bit of an impasse..." Sighed Mirajane.

"When I want your help, you'll know, but more than likely I can get out of this myself, and hey, I made this bed to begin with."

"All right, but it's just too much for me to bear..." Muttered Mirajane, feeling for her friend.

"You can live with it if I can, you aren't the one fighting after all."

"You're right..." Conceded Mirajane, as she kissed Cana on the cheek and walked off to go about her daily business.

"What did I feel, just there?" Cana thought to herself, touching the spot on the side of her face, and staring longingly at the woman leaving her. An attraction, it seemed. Just like the first time she saw her, but much much stronger. Mirajane had more of a hold on her than Cana cared to admit.

* * *

Cana fell back yet again, stumbling as she regained balance. Her opponent was the toughest she'd faced yet, a heavily armed and armored woman from Macedon called Kyouka. She was said to be the top gladiatrix in Rome, and she was making quick work of Cana. Whenever Cana attempted to zero in for an attack, Kyouka simply shifted her shield. Whenever Cana feinted, Kyouka blocked, she was simply too much, and there was no way Cana could take the win. It was but a matter of time before-and there it was; capitalizing on Cana's sketchy footing, Kyouka came in with a sharp jab courtesy of her shield, and toppled Cana over. She had lost. Now her fate was in the emperor's hands. Cana looked to the throne expectantly, doing her best to hide the fear in her eyes, but still coming off a bit nervous. To her relief. She saw the thumb pointed upwards, meaning that her life would be spared. Breathing heavily, she left the arena and went back to her waiting handlers.

* * *

"I can't believe it." Sighed Cana, fighting back tears of both relief and despair later in her chamber with Mirajane.

"What's the problem, it's just one loss, you'll be back to wins in no time." Reassured Mirajane.

"Except that had I won that, I'd have been free for sure. I'm stuck here even longer thanks to that loss." Cana sobbed, as the reality sort of flooded back to her.

"Well..." Mirajane didn't really have a response.

"What this means is that Elfman could still turn a profit on me and-"

"Stop." Mirajane said.

"What?"

"You always define yourself by what others see. You never look after yourself, and I think that's what's making you so depressed." Explained Mirajane. "Do something for yourself. Maybe you can feel better that way."

"Well, Gray can probably give me something to disguise myself, just meet me outside the passage." Agreed Cana.

* * *

"You look..." Began Mirajane, trying to figure out what the best wording would be. Clearly, Gray had had a bit of fun with the costume, making it an unflattering sackcloth cloak and pulling Cana's hair forward so that it covered most of her face. It was, if nothing else, functional.

"I know, don't remind me." Deadpanned Cana, as she followed behind Mirajane, onward. "Where are we going, by the way?"

"Trajan's Market. Should be a good day there." Explained Mirajane.

"What should we chance to find there?"

"Anything, just about, clothing, potions for all ills, trinkets of all kinds, cosmetics." Mirajane listed off.

"That'll be... Interesting." Said Cana, tepid but ready to take what came.

* * *

"Now remember, I'm not your boss. Go and do what you like, and just make sure to be back here around the time the sun sets." Explained Mirajane.

"Okay." Agreed Cana, entirely unsure of what she truly did want to do as she made her way from stand to stand, clutching a purse of denarii that her friend had given her.

* * *

"This scroll is fascinating." Cana said, in reference to the bit of parchment she held in her hands, which told the story of a hero slaying a beast that petrified all who looked it in the eye.

"Five denarii." Said the vendor, with a cynical look.

"Here." Agreed Cana, as she produced the money, cleaning out her allowance, and added it to the animal skin bag slung around her arm, which she had bought earlier. "Now to find Mirajane again." She thought to herself.

* * *

"I see you made out like a bandit." Noted Mirajane, seeing the bag and scroll Cana bought, along with the fine toga and a cask of wine.

"Well, I was spending your money, so I thought to splurge!" Laughed Cana, which illicited a similar response from her companion.

"Now then, how about I buy you a meal here?" Offered Mirajane. "After all, I doubt you've had much good to eat your whole life."

"Got that right." Agreed Cana.

* * *

"This is the best food I've ever tasted!" Declared Cana, as she dug into the roasted bird Mirajane had bought for the two of them.

"I have cooks that can make even better." Said Mirajane. "Someday I'll have to share that with you."

"You would?" Asked Cana expectantly, before something strange occurred to her. "So what all did you buy?"

"Uh, just this one little trinket..." Mirajane muttered, her face flush with shame, as she'd bought a figure of Cana, so to remember her colosseum crush come what may. She hoped to whatever gods may be listening that Cana didn't recognize herself.

"Hey, this is a figure of me..." Realized Cana, within seconds of seeing it. No such luck.

"Yes... I well... Kind of like you more than a friend, and I want to have some evidence of your presence in my life, come the worst..." Mirajane explained, in the most awkward and muddled fashion imaginable.

Cana gave Mirajane a passionate kiss. "Be that the case, I promise not to die before I'm free, and the two of us will come together.

"You may have to pose as a servant, if my husband ever comes home from that war of his." Explained Mirajane.

"Works for me."

* * *

Over the next several months, Cana fought flawlessly, she defeated opponent after opponent, and was soon known as the best gladiatrix in Rome, succeeding the prior queen Kyouka, who had been freed when she defeated Cana.

"Well, nice work Cana, just one more win, and I may free you. Tomorrow's big event is going to decide that though." Explained Elfman, as Cana returned from her latest bout.

"Thank you, master Elfman." Said Cana, a bit of a spring forming in her step. She considered telling Mirajane, but decided against it, reasoning that she needed her sleep, and should she survive, she'd have all the time in the world to be with a certain upper class lady.

* * *

"Now, today's event is rather unique. We have our greatest gladiatrix against a first time gladiator, who may not be the greatest of fighters. Please welcome Cana." At that, the crowd erupted in cheers. "And Gray!" Gray emerged in _Retarius _gear; a trident in one hand, a net in the other, and no armor except for a manica on his right arm.

Cana was terrified. Gray was her friend. She wouldn't have the situation she did now without him, and she most certainly couldn't kill him. What was she to do? Losing on purpose was a poor plan. No telling what the verdict would be. Her best bet was to fight it out, and hope Gray would be spared.

"I'm sorry, Cana." Sighed Gray, as he jabbed with his trident, which Cana easily avoided and countered with a good cut from one of her swords.

"Don't be." Said Cana as she hit Gray with the butt of a sword, causing him to stumble back, before he surged forward and attempted to snare Cana with his net. Cana dodged the net with a quick jump and brought the blunt ends of both swords crashing down on Gray's neck, forcing him to the ground. Cana stood over him, and looked to the emperor for instruction. To her terror, the emperor motioned a thumbs down. She would have to kill Gray.

"Cana?" Gray muttered, as she stood over him, her swords leveled and ready for the killing blow. She couldn't. She'd killed enemies before, but Gray was different. Gray was a friend, and had done so much for her. No. This was not the way she'd repay him.

"No, he lives." Declared Cana, as she let her swords fall to the ground and walked out of the arena.

* * *

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!?" Demanded Elfman, disapprovingly staring at Cana from the holding cell he'd thrown her in.

"Gray shouldn't have to die." Sobbed Cana, looking at her master disdainfully.

"You clearly have no respect for the game, I'll decide what to do with you later." Fumed Elfman as he left her there.

* * *

"Well, it's you lucky day, some lady around here decided she just had to own you and was willing to pay more money than I've seen in my life for your contract. Congratulations, I'm not going to kill you, but I can't say the same for her." Said Elfman, angry but relieved, as he unlocked the door to the cell and led Cana out into the yard, where her savior, Mirajane awaited.

"Mira?" Asked Cana, relieved at the sight before her.

"Yes, come with me and we'll talk." Said Mirajane, a big smile on her face.

* * *

"Thank you so much for this." Sobbed Cana, as the two sat on Mirajane's bed, entwined and kissing passionately.

"I know one thing, and that is life's too short to be unhappy. Sure I spent a good deal getting you free, but it'll come back in time, and I don't care what anybody says, I love you, and there is nothing better than living a good life with one you love." Reassured Mirajane.

"And I love you, let us live, my love." Agreed Cana.

* * *

**A/N: Surprisingly, most of what seems anachronistic isn't. Gladiator endorsement deals and figurines are both real, as is Trajan's market, and perhaps most surprisingly and unfortunately, Mirajane's musing about the double standards in Roman society is true. The Romans were fine with male homosexuality, but regarded female homosexuality as shameful. All of that said, I'm taking a break from updates after this and one more update for Of Stars and of Swords. Until next time!**


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